Recently, an electric vehicle using an electric motor as a drive source, and a so-called hybrid vehicle having a plurality of types of drive sources such as an electric motor and a gasoline engine have been in practical use.
Such a vehicle as an electric vehicle is provided with a battery for supplying electricity as energy to a generator or the like. As the battery for this application, a secondary battery capable of being charged and discharged repeatedly, such as a nicad (Ni—Cd) battery or a nickel-hydride battery, is used.
A structure for mounting a battery in a vehicle is disclosed for example in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2000-233648.